Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Severely injured, Bai Zhou—currently in black-cat form—encounters Fang Xiaoxia in East City District. She mistakes his wary muttering for a mystical curse before realizing he is simply reacting to her attempts to “speak cat.”
• Fang Xiaoxia notices Bai Zhou’s terrible injuries and decides to rescue him. Despite his reluctance, weakness forces him to accept her help. She carries him home, where he eventually loses consciousness.
• News reports describe the crater-producing explosion at the Development Zone as an accidental underground biogas explosion, concealing the truth of the supernatural battle and Bai Zhou’s escape.
• Within the Purple Thorn Group, the Square-Faced Middle-Aged Man reprimands the Major for mishandling the situation and orders him to stop interfering. He assigns Feng Xingyuan, a terrifying Level 5 Extraordinary and former Blood Worship Cult elder, to deal with Bai Zhou.
• Furious at being controlled, the Major secretly contacts the Art Club. In retaliation for Bai Zhou killing [Van Gogh], the Art Club sends its three strongest Painters to hunt him.
• Headquarters also plans to send a team to assist with the investigation. The Major intends to distract them until Bai Zhou is eliminated, relying on the three Painters, Zhou Gu’s arrangements, and a Heavenly Net search operation.
• Bai Zhou awakens in Fang Xiaoxia’s bedroom, completely bandaged and lying on a Hello Kitty bed. Fang Xiaoxia happily cares for him and urges him not to leave.
• A news broadcast confirms the public is being misled about the explosion. Bai Zhou realizes that he is the “dangerous fugitive” being discussed and worries that Fang Xiaoxia could be condemned worldwide for harboring him.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Remains proud, suspicious, and determined to avoid involving ordinary people, but his near-death condition forces him to depend on Fang Xiaoxia. His vulnerability contrasts sharply with his usual intimidating identity. He also recognizes that the enemy’s response has escalated dramatically after the death of [Van Gogh].
• Fang Xiaoxia: Demonstrates strong compassion, impulsiveness, and a comically imaginative personality. She enthusiastically adopts Bai Zhou as a pet, convinced their meeting reflects a bond from a previous life. Despite her silliness, she provides exactly the protection and care Bai Zhou needs.
• The Major: Becomes increasingly resentful and ambitious. Though publicly reprimanded, he secretly expands the operation against Bai Zhou, using the Art Club while attempting to hide his criminal activities from headquarters.
• The Square-Faced Middle-Aged Man: Establishes himself as a senior authority within the Purple Thorn Group. He is calm, controlled, and intimidating, treating the Major as an irresponsible subordinate and delegating Bai Zhou’s elimination to Feng Xingyuan.
• Feng Xingyuan: Is introduced as an extremely dangerous Level 5 Extraordinary, a former Blood Worship Cult elder and notorious killer. His predatory reaction to Bai Zhou’s photograph emphasizes the severity of the new threat.
• The Art Club: Responds to the death of [Van Gogh] with overwhelming force, sending its top three Painters rather than treating the incident as an ordinary failed mission.

Significant Themes

• Role reversal and vulnerability: Bai Zhou, formerly the mysterious protector who helped Fang Xiaoxia, is now the helpless figure being sheltered by her.
• Compassion amid danger: Fang Xiaoxia’s kindness cuts across the conflict between extraordinary factions, showing how ordinary human sympathy can affect Bai Zhou’s survival.
• Misunderstood identities: Fang Xiaoxia sees Bai Zhou only as an injured cat, while the public and supernatural organizations see him as a dangerous fugitive.
• Escalating consequences: Bai Zhou’s victory over [Van Gogh] has caused enemy forces to overestimate his strength and respond with a far more formidable hunting operation.
• Manipulation and concealed truth: Authorities disguise the supernatural explosion as a gas accident, while the Major manipulates both headquarters and criminal organizations to pursue his own ambitions.
• The danger of association: Bai Zhou fears that Fang Xiaoxia’s innocent act of helping him may make her a target or cause her to be hated as a fugitive’s accomplice.

Character Interactions

• Fang Xiaoxia tries several absurd methods to communicate with Bai Zhou, while he silently judges her and mistakes her actions for possible supernatural behavior.
• She attempts to lure him home, even negotiating over his attachment to a tree, before carrying him away after he finally gives in.
• Their relationship mirrors their first meeting: previously Bai Zhou encouraged a frightened Fang Xiaoxia, whereas now she protects and nurses him.
• The Square-Faced Middle-Aged Man reprimands the Major and asserts authority over him, while the Major suppresses his anger and secretly plots around his superior’s orders.
• The Major coordinates with the Art Club and his officers, ordering them to deceive headquarters, protect his business, and prepare for Bai Zhou’s second encirclement.
• After waking, Bai Zhou silently resists Fang Xiaoxia’s affectionate attempts to keep him, while she treats him like a cherished pet and begs him not to leave.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou, now a black cat, meets Fang Xiaoxia, who takes him in and names him Kitty Cat.
• Fang Xiaoxia shows Bai Zhou her collection of Tarot cards, which he finds interesting despite his initial disdain.
• Bai Zhou decides to leave Fang Xiaoxia's home to protect her from his dangerous nature.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Realizes the danger he poses to ordinary people like Fang Xiaoxia. Feels a connection with her due to their shared loneliness and fear of abandonment.
• Fang Xiaoxia: Shows her warm, caring, and slightly eccentric side. She's lonely but resilient, finding joy in her fantasies and newfound companionship with Bai Zhou.

Significant Themes

• Loneliness and Connection: Both Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia feel lonely, but they find a sense of connection with each other.
• Danger and Protection: Bai Zhou understands the danger he poses to ordinary people, leading him to decide to leave Fang Xiaoxia to protect her.
• The Power of Belief: Fang Xiaoxia believes in mysticism and superpowers, contrasting with Bai Zhou's initial skepticism.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia: They form a bond, with Fang Xiaoxia treating Bai Zhou like a friend and confidant, while Bai Zhou feels a mix of protectiveness and reluctance to leave her.
• Bai Zhou and the Graduation Photo: Bai Zhou discovers a clue in Fang Xiaoxia's graduation photo, leading him to believe he's found a connection to his past and the mysterious group that traded with Deputy Han.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers a graduation photo with last words in Fang Xiaoxia's room, belonging to a girl Fang Xiaoxia doesn't recognize.
• He hypnotizes Fang Xiaoxia to learn about the photo but gains little information.
• Bai Zhou leaves Fang Xiaoxia's house, feeling guilty but determined.
• He realizes his recovery is too slow and worries about his current state.
• He spends the night on an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit, feeling lost but determined.
• A storm approaches, and Ya reappears, finding Bai Zhou in a strange state.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Struggles with his injuries and slow recovery. Feels lost but determined. Shows signs of growth and resilience.
• Fang Xiaoxia: Remains mostly unchanged, still unaware of the extraordinary world.
• Ya: Returns, concerned about Bai Zhou's condition. Shows a hint of emotion, suggesting growth in her character.

Significant Themes

• Loneliness and determination: Bai Zhou feels lost but remains determined to continue his journey.
• The extraordinary world's harshness: Bai Zhou's slow recovery and constant danger highlight the challenges he faces.
• The power of last words: The graduation photo's last words hint at a mystery that could lead Bai Zhou to new information.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia: Their interaction is brief, with Bai Zhou learning little from Fang Xiaoxia.
• Bai Zhou and Ya: Ya's return brings concern and a hint of emotion, showing a deeper connection between them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou reveals his recent battles and injuries to Teacher Ya.
• Teacher Ya explains that Bai Zhou's Destiny has been damaged and needs three to four months to recover, but he can't afford to wait that long.
• They decide to find Moon Water at the Ghost Market in Reflection Tinghai to heal Bai Zhou's Destiny.
• Bai Zhou discovers that the Ashblaze he found in the Deep Ruins Realm is a valuable currency called "ash."

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou has matured and grown stronger after his battles and experiences.
• Teacher Ya reveals that she experiences drowsiness when away from Branch 36, hinting at an unknown influence or secret.
• Bai Zhou becomes aware of the value of Ashblaze and realizes he has a fortune in his possession.

Significant Themes

• The contrast between the mundane world and the Extraordinary world.
• The importance of timing and destiny in the Extraordinary world.
• The value of knowledge and awareness in the Extraordinary world.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Teacher Ya's relationship deepens as they face challenges together.
• Bai Zhou learns more about the Extraordinary world from Teacher Ya.
• Bai Zhou and Teacher Ya share a moment of levity when Bai Zhou transforms into a cat to show how he got onto the rooftop.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou enters the Reflection Ruins Realm of Tinghai, finding it familiar yet grotesque.
• He encounters a Treasure Chest Monster disguised as a trash can and avoids a conflict.
• He discovers a building similar to his apartment in the Present World, with abnormal figures inside.
• A Silly Monkey "Anomaly" attacks him, but it's quickly destroyed by a mysterious Gem Witch.
• The Gem Witch gives Bai Zhou two flyers and introduces herself as [Gem Witch].

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: He remains calm and composed in the face of anomalies, using his knowledge and experience to navigate the Reflection Ruins Realm. He shows no fear despite the grotesque environment.
• Gem Witch: She is introduced as a powerful and elegant figure, capable of destroying anomalies with ease. She seems to have a mysterious connection to Bai Zhou, but her true intentions are yet to be revealed.

Significant Themes

• The Reflection Ruins Realm is a distorted mirror of the Present World, filled with grotesque and dangerous anomalies.
• The environment reflects the past and present of Tinghai, with time being muddled and overlapping.
• Bai Zhou's familiarity with the environment suggests a deeper connection between Evening City and Tinghai.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou interacts with two anomalies (Treasure Chest Monster and Silly Monkey), demonstrating his ability to assess and avoid conflicts with them.
• He encounters Gem Witch, who introduces herself as a powerful figure in the Reflection Ruins Realm. Their interaction is brief but intriguing, leaving room for further development.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Author goes out to eat with friends and tries Lao Guo after a long time.
• Author experiences food poisoning, leading to vomiting and diarrhea.
• Author becomes dehydrated and develops a low fever.
• Author drinks glucose solution, feeling better afterward.
• Author's writing efficiency is reduced, and they announce a delay in the release schedule.

Character Developments

• Author: Struggles with health issues due to irregular sleep and anxiety, learns to prioritize self-care.

Significant Themes

• Health and Well-being: The importance of taking care of one's physical health, especially when under stress.
• Responsibility and Accountability: The author feels guilty for delaying the release schedule and promises to make up for it.

Character Interactions

• The author interacts with friends, although not explicitly mentioned in the chapter, it's implied they went out to eat together.
• The author communicates with their readers, expressing their apologies and reassuring them about the upcoming updates.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou meets the Gem Witch, who saves him from an anomaly.
• They both head to the Ghost Market, a secretive gathering of Extraordinary, but pretend not to recognize each other.
• Bai Zhou enters the Ghost Market by crashing into a wall, finding it eerie and filled with strange, dark objects.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Shows curiosity and caution, adapts to the Mystic World, and remains wary of others.
• Gem Witch: Displayed kindness and strength, but also has a secretive side, as she visits the Ghost Market despite denying it earlier.

Significant Themes

• The duality of appearances and reality, as seen in the Gem Witch's elegant yet shabby attire and Bai Zhou's makeshift cloak.
• The hidden nature of the Mystic World, with Extraordinary concealing their identities and the Ghost Market's secretive atmosphere.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and the Gem Witch: They initially help each other, but later pretend not to recognize each other at the Ghost Market, showing caution and maintaining their secrets.

Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou enters the Ghost Market, a mysterious and dangerous place where truth and falsehood are hard to distinguish.
• He encounters various vendors selling magical items, from common materials to faked ancient artifacts.
• He finds a vendor selling Moon Water, but the vendor cannot make change for the ash Bai Zhou offers, leading him to an upcoming auction.
• Bai Zhou spots the Gem Witch, who is offering a heavy reward to repair an old Magic Staff with a familiar design.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou demonstrates caution and vigilance in the Ghost Market, learning to avoid traps and scams.
• The Gem Witch is revealed to be a seller in the Ghost Market, offering a reward to repair an old Magic Staff.

Significant Themes

• The theme of deception and caution is prevalent, as Bai Zhou navigates the Ghost Market, where truth and falsehood are hard to discern.
• The theme of the past and the present is hinted at, as Bai Zhou recognizes the familiar design of the Magic Staff from the Jurassic era.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou interacts with various vendors, observing their transactions and avoiding their traps.
• Bai Zhou encounters the Gem Witch, who is now a seller offering a reward for repairing an old Magic Staff.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou, a mysterious figure, arrives at the Ghost Market and witnesses an attempt to repair a broken Magic Staff.
• Several Extraordinary try to repair the staff, but fail, including a High-level Extraordinary and the Armory's Special Appointed Consultant, Expert Li.
• Bai Zhou decides to try repairing the staff himself.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: He shows curiosity and confidence in his ability to repair the Magic Staff. His mysterious appearance and words hint at his unique background and skills.
• Expert Li: Despite his reputation and expertise, he fails to repair the Magic Staff, demonstrating that even the best in their field can face challenges.
• Miss Witch: She initially appears meek but shows assertiveness and courage when standing up to Expert Li. She values the Magic Staff and is determined not to sell it.

Significant Themes

• Hubris vs Humility: Expert Li's initial overconfidence contrasts with his humility after failing to repair the staff. Bai Zhou, on the other hand, shows calm confidence.
• Fate and Destiny: Bai Zhou's words about feeling "fated" with the Magic Staff suggest a theme of predestination.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Miss Witch: Their interaction is brief but significant. Miss Witch's scrutiny of Bai Zhou hints at her curiosity and caution.
• Expert Li and Miss Witch: Their interaction is tense initially, with Expert Li trying to buy the staff and Miss Witch refusing. However, Expert Li apologizes after realizing Miss Witch's strength.
• Bai Zhou and Expert Li: Their interaction is indirect but notable. Bai Zhou's calm confidence contrasts with Expert Li's initial overconfidence and eventual humility.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou offers to repair the Witch’s damaged Magic Staff, despite having little recognized experience and lacking the expensive quill and special paint normally required for Magic Pattern work.
• The Witch recognizes Bai Zhou’s hidden identity and knows that, by ordinary standards, he is only a beginner. However, she cannot reveal their connection without exposing herself.
• Bai Zhou examines the staff’s Magic Patterns and notices that they resemble the patterns from the “Ancient Junk” he studied in the Deep Ruins Realm, though the staff’s patterns appear more cautious, imitative, and less spiritually powerful.
• Borrowing a colored marker, Bai Zhou performs the [Sacred Divide] Ritual. The ritual separates him from the mundane world and temporarily grants him the power of a divine, highly precise drawing hand.
• His display shocks the crowd and especially Expert Li, who recognizes the ritual as the hallmark of a powerful and secretive Pattern School. Expert Li begins suspecting that Bai Zhou may be an heir or disciple of that school.
• Bai Zhou successfully reconstructs the damaged Magic Patterns, drawing on his extensive secret practice and memory of patterns from the Deep Ruins Realm.
• The Magic Staff activates after two thousand years, glowing with powerful red light. Bai Zhou proudly considers himself an official Pattern Master and anticipates receiving a generous reward from the Witch.
• However, the staff begins vibrating violently. The gemstone at its tip cracks, and Bai Zhou realizes that he may have repaired an explosive mechanism rather than a harmless magical weapon.
• He throws the staff away and shouts for everyone to get down. The crowd dives for cover, while the Witch recklessly leaps after her precious staff.
• The staff explodes, producing a terrifying mushroom cloud over the Ghost Market.

2. Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Demonstrates genuine talent as a Pattern Master. His unconventional training, poverty-driven methods, and reliance on memorization prove surprisingly effective. He gains confidence after completing his first independent repair, though his success immediately becomes complicated by the accidental explosion.
• The Witch: Reveals strong emotional attachment to the Magic Staff and distrust toward Bai Zhou’s methods. Despite her concern, she allows him to try repairing it. Her desperation and possessiveness overcome caution when she dives after the exploding weapon.
• Expert Li: Becomes increasingly suspicious and intrigued by Bai Zhou. After recognizing the [Sacred Divide] Ritual, he realizes that Bai Zhou may belong to an influential and secretive Pattern School.
• The surrounding occultists: Initially skeptical, they become astonished by Bai Zhou’s ritual and skill, then panic when the repaired staff appears ready to detonate.

3. Significant Themes

• Talent versus conventional standards: Bai Zhou violates the Mystic World’s assumptions about training, materials, and specialization, succeeding through innate ability and unusual experience.
• Innovation and resourcefulness: His use of an ordinary marker instead of formal occult tools emphasizes his practical, cost-effective approach.
• Knowledge and secrecy: The [Sacred Divide] Ritual is closely guarded, raising questions about Bai Zhou’s origins and the consequences of revealing forbidden or restricted techniques.
• Success with unintended consequences: Bai Zhou’s repair is technically successful, but restoring the staff also restores its dangerous destructive function.
• Appearances versus reality: Bai Zhou looks like an obscure, shabby figure in a strange cloak, yet possesses advanced and mysterious abilities that cause experts to reassess him.

4. Character Interactions

• The Witch cautiously questions Bai Zhou’s confidence while trying not to reveal that she knows him.
• Bai Zhou ignores her doubts, examines the staff independently, and asks for a pen, embarrassing or alarming the more experienced occultists.
• Expert Li criticizes Bai Zhou’s lack of proper materials, but his attitude shifts to uncertainty and concern once Bai Zhou performs the sacred ritual.
• Bai Zhou and the Witch both watch the staff revive, but their reactions diverge: Bai Zhou feels pride and anticipates payment, while the Witch is overwhelmed with relief and excitement.
• When the staff begins to explode, Bai Zhou warns the crowd and throws it away, while the Witch prioritizes recovering it, setting up the chapter’s explosive comedic climax.

Key Plot Points and Events

+ Miss Witch survives the explosion, unharmed but disheveled.
+ Bai Zhou leaves the Ghost Market, leaving behind a bag of ashes as compensation.
+ Bai Zhou enters the auction, hosted in a luxurious, golden hall by a penguin-like auctioneer.

Character Developments

+ Miss Witch: Realizes Bai Zhou's potential and wants to kidnap him to repair another item.
+ Bai Zhou: Feels guilty for damaging the Witch's Magic Staff but hopes she won't hold a grudge.

Significant Themes

+ The value of Ashes: Bai Zhou's lack of money is offset by his abundance of Ashes, which he believes can buy anything.
+ The power of wealth: The auction's motto, "Money Has Infinite Possibilities," highlights the influence of wealth.

Character Interactions

+ Miss Witch and Bai Zhou: Their interaction is cut short due to Bai Zhou's departure, but the Witch is now determined to find him.
+ Bai Zhou and Expert Li: Expert Li warns Bai Zhou about the Witch's search for him and guides him to the auction entrance.
+ Bai Zhou and the Penguin Auctioneer: They have no direct interaction, but Bai Zhou is intrigued by the auctioneer's words about the power of money and Ashes.

Plot Points & Events

• The auction begins with an enchanted weapon, [Quibble], followed by various items like [Fair Contract Parchment], [Popular Funhouse Mirror], and [Human Facing Sunflower].
• The first grand finale item is a Magic Potion, [Moon God's Tear], which has miraculous effects in nourishing Destiny.
• Bai Zhou engages in a bidding war with a cloaked man over [Moon God's Tear], with Bai Zhou eventually bidding 500 Ash, an astronomical amount.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Shows his wealth and determination by bidding an exorbitant amount for [Moon God's Tear]. He remains calm and composed throughout the bidding war.
• The Cloaked Man (Third Young Master of Zijing Company): Initially confident and dominant, he is caught off guard by Bai Zhou's bids. He struggles to keep up with Bai Zhou's increasing bids, feeling intimidated and puzzled by Bai Zhou's wealth.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and Power: The auction highlights the vast differences in wealth and power among the attendees. Bai Zhou's extravagant bids underscore his wealth, while the cloaked man's initial confidence and later struggle illustrate the power dynamics at play.
• Determination and Willpower: Both Bai Zhou and the cloaked man exhibit determination in their bids, with Bai Zhou showing unwavering resolve and the cloaked man initially displaying confidence but later faltering.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou vs. The Cloaked Man: The bidding war between Bai Zhou and the cloaked man is the central interaction in the chapter. Their exchange highlights their contrasting attitudes towards wealth and power, as well as their determination and willpower.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou buys [Moon God's Tear] for 500 Ashes after a tense bidding war with Major.
• Major, unable to buy [Moon God's Tear], purchases [Bottle of Regret] for 200 Ashes.
• The auction ends with five Extraordinary Equipment items, causing fierce competition among attendees.
• Big Penguin warns Bai Zhou about potential dangers outside the Auction House and offers the 'Whirlwind Escort' service.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou remains calm and composed throughout the auction, showing no signs of nervousness or intimidation.
• Major's determination to obtain [Moon God's Tear] is revealed, along with his connection to Edward Munch, a top-ranked Painter from the Art Club.
• Big Penguin displays intelligence and understanding of the guests' situations, offering assistance to Bai Zhou.

Significant Themes

• The power of money and resources in the Mystic World, with Extraordinary Weapons being highly sought after and valuable.
• The ruthless nature of Extraordinary, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
• The Auction House's neutrality and lack of responsibility outside its establishment.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Major engage in a tense bidding war, with Major growing increasingly hostile toward Bai Zhou.
• Big Penguin offers Bai Zhou assistance and protection, showing concern for his safety.
• Major and Edward Munch silently communicate, planning to target Bai Zhou outside the Auction House.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou meets a Fat Penguin Auctioneer who offers protection in exchange for his smile for a year.
• Bai Zhou hires a Level 5 Emperor Penguin for protection instead.
• Major, a rival, also meets a penguin in the Auction House and learns about a 'Peng Peng Substitute' service.
• Major ambushes Bai Zhou upon his exit from the Auction House, but they kill a decoy penguin instead.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Shows caution and wisdom in dealing with the mysterious penguins, prioritizing his smile's value.
• Major: Demonstrates his determination to obtain a specific item, even at great cost, and his ruthlessness in pursuing it.

Significant Themes

• Deception and Trust: The penguins' true intentions and the potential traps in their offers are unclear, raising questions about trust and deception.
• Value and Exchange: The penguins value Bai Zhou's smile highly, while Bai Zhou values his smile above wealth, highlighting different perceptions of value and exchange.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and the Fat Penguin Auctioneer: Their interaction is tense and cautious, with Bai Zhou trying to gauge the penguin's true intentions.
• Major and the Penguin in the Auction House: Their interaction is brief but informative, with Major learning about a potential service that could help him against Bai Zhou.
• Major and Bai Zhou: Their indirect interaction is hostile, with Major ambushing Bai Zhou upon his exit from the Auction House.

Chapter Summary: “Ghost Market: It’s a [Ghost Corpse]!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Ghost Market suddenly convulses as its stone streets, buildings, trees, and even the sky transform into living, fleshy matter. A terrifying voice demands, “Who killed my goose?”
• The Major realizes that the death of the Little Penguin auction employee has awakened or enraged the true entity behind the Auction House: the Ghost Market itself.
• Trapped under overwhelming pressure, the Major uses his family heirloom, the Life Spirit Jade, a Secret Treasure capable of exchanging his death with itself and teleporting him to safety. The jade is destroyed, but he escapes just before the entity strikes.
• The entity’s attack erases the ground where the Major stood, leaving behind a massive palm-shaped depression.
• Edward Munch, the Art Club Painter known as Monk, returns after repeatedly using substitute bodies to survive a battle against the Level 5 Emperor Penguin. He discovers that the Major has vanished.
• The Emperor Penguin identifies Monk as the culprit responsible for the Little Penguin’s death. Monk’s death-sensing ability reveals a “ten out of ten” probability of death, and despite activating every defense, he is annihilated by the Ghost Market’s invisible power.
• Bai Zhou, disguised as a Black Cat, reveals that he orchestrated the deception: a fake version of himself accompanied the Emperor Penguin while the real Bai Zhou secretly followed.
• Bai Zhou escapes through the Ghost Market’s exit, but briefly perceives the true nature of the place: a gigantic, ancient blue-black corpse. The Market’s streets and auction hall are situated on or within its body.
• He sees an ancient inscription—“Light Also Has Weight, I Caught It, Cannot Fly Anymore”—and fragmented historical visions identifying the entity as “C-66, Ghost Corpse.”
• Bai Zhou realizes that the Ghost Market is not merely built upon a supernatural site: it is the corpse itself.

Character Developments

• The Major: His confidence and status prove useless against the Ghost Market’s power. He is forced to sacrifice his treasured second-life artifact, leaving him furious at the disguised auctioneer and determined to retaliate.
• Edward Munch/Monk: His reputation as a survivor is reinforced; he can endure repeated death through substitute puppets. However, his arrogance and involvement in the plot ultimately lead to his complete destruction.
• Bai Zhou: Demonstrates considerable cunning by using disguises, decoys, and the Emperor Penguin to conceal his involvement. He survives the disaster but gains disturbing knowledge about the true identity of the Ghost Market.
• The Emperor Penguin: Acts as the forceful executor of the Ghost Market’s vengeance, pursuing Monk and reporting his identity to the awakened entity as though accusing him to a parent.
• The Little Penguin: Though already dead, its death triggers the catastrophic awakening and becomes the center of the Market’s furious retaliation.

Significant Themes

• The danger of violating supernatural rules: Killing an Auction House employee provokes consequences far beyond ordinary retaliation.
• The insignificance of power and status: Even high-level Extraordinaries and influential nobles are helpless before the Ghost Market’s true entity.
• Survival through deception and preparation: Bai Zhou’s layered disguise and Monk’s substitute bodies contrast with the Major’s costly emergency escape.
• The hidden nature of reality: The Ghost Market’s familiar streets are revealed to be parts of a colossal corpse, radically reframing everything previously understood about the setting.
• Cosmic horror and incomprehensible existence: The Ghost Corpse cannot be fully seen or understood, and its power distorts space, matter, perception, and sanity.

Character Interactions

• The Major blames the disguised auctioneer, whom he believes manipulated him into killing the Little Penguin, and places him on his personal kill list.
• Monk returns expecting to collect payment from the Major, only to discover that the Major has escaped.
• The Emperor Penguin identifies Monk as the responsible party and calls out “Father!”, apparently invoking the Ghost Market’s entity to punish him.
• Bai Zhou observes the consequences from hiding, speculates that the Major may be Auctioneer 2, and realizes he may have unintentionally gained leverage or “interest” against a powerful enemy.
• The chapter ends with Bai Zhou escaping alive but confronted with the terrifying truth that the entire Ghost Market is a Ghost Corpse.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers the truth about the Ghost Market being a "Ghost Corpse No. 66," a Black Box of unknown origin and power.
• The Ordinance Hall's inspector arrives to handle the situation at the Ghost Market.
• Bai Zhou encounters the Gem Witch and flees, leading him to an older part of the city.
• He stumbles upon an eerie school with students wearing uniforms identical to Fang Xiaoxia's graduation photo.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou's understanding of the Ghost Market and his own situation deepens, leading to increased caution and curiosity.
• The Gem Witch's presence and pursuit add tension to Bai Zhou's escape.

Significant Themes

• The theme of disguise and hidden truths continues, with Bai Zhou's cat form and the true nature of the Ghost Market being revealed.
• The contrast between the old and new parts of the city highlights the passage of time and the remnants of the past.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou's encounter with the Gem Witch leads to a tense chase, highlighting their adversarial relationship.
• Bai Zhou's discovery of the strange school hints at a potential connection to Fang Xiaoxia, raising questions about her past.

Chapter Summary: “Moonlight Is Here”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou investigates a strange school resembling Tinghai City Yuanmeng Middle School, whose uniforms match those in Fang Xiaoxia’s graduation photograph.
• The school’s faceless students suddenly accuse him of being late and march toward him. A faceless homeroom teacher appears, blaming Bai Zhou for disrupting lessons and harming the class’s “key school admission rate.”
• The teacher attacks Bai Zhou’s companion, Black Cat, with a supernatural teaching whip. Bai Zhou uses the final available charge of [Night Wanderer] to teleport Black Cat away and escape.
• The teacher and students resume a disturbing Hundred Day Oath Ceremony, repeatedly chanting that they will enter a key school. Bai Zhou concludes that the school is a highly dangerous anomaly, possibly containing multiple Level 4–equivalent entities.
• Severely injured and exhausted, Bai Zhou leaves the school behind. He decides to investigate the real-world Tinghai Yuanmeng Middle School first rather than risk returning to the anomalous version.
• At “thirty-six o’clock,” a bell rings from the blue-flame Bell Tower. The sign reading “Tinghai Excludes You” glows and expels everyone from Reflection Tinghai, returning Bai Zhou to the real world.
• Bai Zhou reunites with Ya, though from Ya’s perspective he disappeared and returned almost instantly. He appears in a disguised form wearing a ragged, advertisement-covered cloak and carrying a silver chest.
• Ya assumes Bai Zhou was attacked while trying to purchase Moon Water and becomes intensely concerned about his worsening injuries. She promises to find a way to help him.
• Bai Zhou reveals that he did not obtain Moon Water—but he obtained something far more valuable: the Moon God’s Tear, a mysterious crimson-purple potion containing silver, starlike light.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou demonstrates caution, tactical judgment, and extreme resilience. Despite his critical condition, he risks using his last remaining supernatural charge to save Black Cat.
• His encounter with the school deepens his awareness of the dangers within the Reflection Ruins Realm. He recognizes that he is not yet strong enough to investigate the school directly.
• Bai Zhou’s injuries have become nearly fatal, but obtaining the Moon God’s Tear restores his hope and gives him confidence that his future can still be changed.
• Ya reveals a more openly protective and emotionally concerned side. Her usual calm composure gives way to worry and murderous intent when she believes someone has harmed Bai Zhou.
• Black Cat remains a useful companion and target of Bai Zhou’s protective instincts, narrowly escaping the teacher’s whip through [Night Wanderer].
• Bai Zhou’s disguise also highlights his resourcefulness: he uses an illusion-generated cloak and appearance to avoid creating new enemies in the Ghost Market.

Significant Themes

• Survival and the cost of power: Bai Zhou’s abilities allow him to escape danger, but every use worsens his already ruined body.
• Education as authoritarian horror: The school turns academic pressure, rankings, discipline, and entrance examinations into grotesque supernatural rituals.
• Alienation and belonging: Bai Zhou reflects on being separated from his original world, comparing the unfamiliar moon of Evening City with the moon of his homeland.
• Hope amid despair: Even while close to death, Bai Zhou finds hope through the Moon God’s Tear and Ya’s promise to help him.
• Misunderstanding and emotional connection: Ya misunderstands what happened, but her mistaken assumptions reveal genuine concern and strengthen the emotional bond between them.
• The moon as a symbol: The moon represents home, identity, and emotional refuge. By the end, Bai Zhou suggests that he has obtained moonlight not merely in the sky, but literally in the form of the Moon God’s Tear.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou confronts the faceless students and homeroom teacher, provoking the school’s hostility by commenting on the teacher’s failure to control the students.
• He works with Black Cat during the escape, using his final supernatural resource to protect him from the teacher’s attack.
• After returning, Bai Zhou interacts with Ya on the rooftop. She questions his condition, misinterprets his failure to obtain Moon Water, and vows to take responsibility for his recovery.
• Bai Zhou gently corrects Ya’s misunderstanding by revealing the Moon God’s Tear, transforming the reunion from one of worry and desperation into a moment of renewed hope.

Summary of Chapter 5k: "Healed! I Lack Nothing"

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou buys [Moon God's Tear] for Bai Zhou, revealing he has money from a "lucky windfall."
• Ya realizes the person Bai Zhou encountered at the Ghost Market was likely Major Luo of the Purple Thorn Group.
• Bai Zhou drinks [Moon God's Tear] and undergoes a transformation, improving his strength and gaining a new mark on his hand.
• Major Luo, furious about his losses, vows revenge and awaits the arrival of a Special Case Supervision Team from headquarters.
• The team arrives, led by a mysterious, powerful Extraordinary known as the Gem Witch.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Heals from his injuries, improves his strength, and gains a new mark on his hand that seals most of [Moon God's Tear]'s power. His "Heart of the Strong" is forged.
• Major Luo: Loses [Moon God's Tear] and his Jade Pendant, suffers censure from home, and awaits the arrival of the Special Case Supervision Team.
• Gem Witch: Introduced as a powerful, mysterious Extraordinary who joins the Special Case Supervision Team.

Significant Themes

• The power and importance of Top-tier Potions like [Moon God's Tear].
• The consequences of Bai Zhou's actions and the Major's obsession with revenge.
• The introduction of a new, powerful character, the Gem Witch.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya: They discuss the Major's identity and Bai Zhou's transformation after drinking [Moon God's Tear].
• Major Luo and the Special Case Supervision Team: The Major meets the team and is intimidated by the Gem Witch's presence.
• The Gem Witch and the Major: The Gem Witch is introduced as a formidable force that intimidates the Major and his subordinates.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou sits on a rooftop, reflecting on his journey and feeling confident in facing the Pursuers.
• Ya explains the history of human flight and how Extraordinaries contributed to it.
• Bai Zhou realizes that Major Luo likely has a way to consume the [Moon God's Tear] and bought a [Midnight Compass] to track him.
• Ya suggests using the compass to their advantage, catching the major off guard.
• Bai Zhou looks forward to having breakfast at a local shop after dawn.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou has grown more confident and determined, no longer feeling powerless.
• Ya shows a deeper understanding of human history and the role of Extraordinaries in it.
• Bai Zhou demonstrates strategic thinking, planning to use the major's tracking method against him.
• Ya reveals a more cunning and experienced side, suggesting they use the major's lack of knowledge to their advantage.

Significant Themes

• The power of human ingenuity and determination in achieving flight.
• The use of strategy and knowledge to gain an advantage over enemies.
• The importance of confidence and determination in facing challenges.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya have a heart-to-heart conversation on the rooftop, with Ya sharing her knowledge and Bai Zhou expressing his thoughts.
• Bai Zhou and Ya work together to come up with a plan to counter the major's tracking method.
• Bai Zhou and Ya share a moment of understanding and camaraderie, with Ya draping Bai Zhou's cloak over him as he sleeps.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou wakes on a rooftop at dawn with Miss Ya’s cloak over him, then disguises himself with glasses, a necklace, watch, and trench coat to avoid detection by surveillance and authorities.
• He enjoys an extravagant breakfast of soup dumplings, millet porridge, and spicy tofu pudding at a humble roadside stall. The meal contrasts sharply with the scarce, poor-quality food available in Evening City.
• Ya criticizes eating as an inefficient biological process and survives instead by consuming black coffee beans, though her behavior undercuts her claim when she accidentally bites one.
• After eating, Bai Zhou resumes his investigation into Yuanmeng Middle School, which may provide information about Major’s industrial chain.
• Bai Zhou transforms into a black cat and infiltrates the modern, luxurious campus. He observes students undergoing military training and reflects bitterly on his violent upbringing in Evening City’s Youth Training Corps.
• He encounters a group of girls frightened by a mouse. Their class monitor, “Xiao Fang,” gives a bleak philosophical explanation about futile effort. Her appearance and later cat-loving behavior strongly remind Bai Zhou of Fang Xiaoxia.
• The girls chase Bai Zhou after noticing him, forcing him to flee through the campus.
• In a secluded area, Bai Zhou notices an ominous sensation near a public restroom. Investigating, he detects a foul, unnatural smell and hears a woman sobbing from the last stall.
• Beneath the stall door, bloody words spread across the floor: a supernatural Last Will pleading for help, then rejecting rescue and declaring, “I don’t deserve to live!” Bai Zhou realizes this may be the clue he was seeking.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Reveals a deep appreciation for ordinary food and treats eating as an important source of happiness and emotional comfort. His memories of Evening City expose the deprivation and violence that shaped him. He remains cautious and observant while investigating the school, but his curiosity leads him toward the supernatural threat in the restroom.
• Miss Ya: Continues acting aloof and superior, claiming to have transcended ordinary biological needs. However, her quiet companionship and willingness to watch over Bai Zhou reveal mutual trust. Her staggered sleeping schedule with him suggests they rely on each other during vulnerable moments.
• Xiao Fang / possible Fang Xiaoxia connection: The class monitor initially appears mature, pessimistic, and unusually philosophical, but instantly becomes excitable and obsessive when she sees Bai Zhou’s cat form. Her resemblance to Fang Xiaoxia raises the possibility that they are related or otherwise connected.
• The students: Their energetic military training represents ordinary, peaceful youth, contrasting with Bai Zhou’s harsh childhood. Their sudden despair after Xiao Fang’s speech also shows her unsettling influence.

Significant Themes

• Food and the meaning of life: Bai Zhou’s breakfast symbolizes comfort, freedom, and the simple pleasures denied to him in Evening City. Eating is presented as more than survival—it is a way to preserve happiness.
• Trauma and lost youth: Bai Zhou’s memories of the Youth Training Corps reveal how violence replaced normal adolescence. The healthy students at Yuanmeng Middle School prompt him to confront what he lost.
• Effort versus futility: Xiao Fang’s interpretation of the mouse introduces a pessimistic theme: people may continue striving despite conditions that make success impossible. This idea echoes the Last Will’s contradictory pleas for rescue and death.
• Trust and companionship: Bai Zhou and Ya rarely state their reliance on each other directly, yet they protect one another and share intimate routines.
• Hidden supernatural danger: The ordinary school setting conceals disturbing phenomena, including unnatural smells, ghostly crying, and a blood-written Last Will visible only to Bai Zhou.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya banter over breakfast, particularly about tofu pudding and the value of eating.
• Ya watches over Bai Zhou while he sleeps and accompanies him despite claiming the investigation is beneath her.
• Bai Zhou overhears Xiao Fang interpreting the mouse’s struggle, then suspects she resembles Fang Xiaoxia.
• Xiao Fang and the other girls enthusiastically pursue Bai Zhou after mistaking his cat form for an unusually appealing stray.
• At the restroom, Bai Zhou encounters the unseen, distressed presence behind the stall door through its crying and supernatural Last Will, establishing the chapter’s central mystery.